Lamentations 3:19-66
Christian Standard Bible
ז Zayin
19 Remember[a] my affliction and my homelessness,(A)
the wormwood and the poison.(B)
20 I continually remember them
and have become depressed.[b](C)
21 Yet I call this to mind,
and therefore I have hope:(D)
ח Cheth
22 Because of the Lord’s faithful love(E)
we do not perish,[c]
for his mercies never end.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness!(F)
24 I say, “The Lord is my portion,(G)
therefore I will put my hope in him.”
ט Teth
25 The Lord is good to those who wait(H) for him,
to the person who seeks him.
26 It is good to wait quietly(I)
for salvation from the Lord.(J)
27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke(K)
while he is still young.
י Yod
28 Let him sit alone and be silent,(L)
for God has disciplined[d] him.
29 Let him put his mouth in the dust(M)—
perhaps there is still hope.
30 Let him offer his cheek
to the one who would strike him;(N)
let him be filled with disgrace.
כ Kaph
31 For the Lord
will not reject us forever.
32 Even if he causes suffering,
he will show compassion
according to the abundance of his faithful love.(O)
33 For he does not enjoy bringing affliction(P)
or suffering on mankind.
ל Lamed
34 Crushing all the prisoners of the land[e]
beneath one’s feet,
35 denying justice to a man(Q)
in the presence of the Most High,
36 or subverting a person in his lawsuit(R)—
the Lord does not approve of these things.
מ Mem
37 Who is there who speaks and it happens,
unless the Lord has ordained it?(S)
38 Do not both adversity and good
come from the mouth of the Most High?(T)
39 Why should any living person complain,
any man, because of the punishment for his sins?
נ Nun
40 Let’s examine and probe our ways,
and turn back to the Lord.(U)
41 Let’s lift up our hearts and our hands(V)
to God in heaven:
42 “We have sinned and rebelled;
you have not forgiven.(W)
ס Samek
43 “You have covered yourself in anger and pursued us;
you have killed without compassion.(X)
44 You have covered yourself with a cloud
so that no prayer can get through.(Y)
45 You have made us disgusting filth
among the peoples.(Z)
פ Pe
46 “All our enemies
open their mouths against us.(AA)
47 We have experienced panic and pitfall,(AB)
devastation and destruction.”
48 My eyes flow with streams of tears
because of the destruction of my dear people.
ע Ayin
49 My eyes overflow unceasingly,
without end,(AC)
50 until the Lord looks down
from heaven and sees.(AD)
51 My eyes bring me grief
because of the fate of all the women in my city.
צ Tsade
52 For no reason, my enemies[f]
hunted me like a bird.(AE)
53 They smothered my life in[g] a pit(AF)
and threw stones on me.
54 Water flooded over my head,(AG)
and I thought, “I’m going to die!” (AH)
ק Qoph
55 I called on your name, Lord,
from the depths of the pit.
56 You heard my plea:
Do not ignore my cry for relief.
57 You came near whenever I called you;
you said, “Do not be afraid.”
ר Resh
58 You championed my cause, Lord;(AI)
you redeemed my life.(AJ)
59 Lord, you saw the wrong done to me;
judge my case.
60 You saw all their vengefulness,
all their plots against me.(AK)
שׂ Sin / שׁ Shin
61 Lord, you heard their insults,(AL)
all their plots against me.
62 The slander[h] and murmuring of my opponents
attack me all day long.
63 When they sit and when they rise, look,
I am mocked by their songs.(AM)
ת Taw
64 You will pay them back what they deserve, Lord,
according to the work of their hands.(AN)
65 You will give them a heart filled with anguish.[i](AO)
May your curse be on them!
66 You will pursue them in anger and destroy them
under your heavens.[j](AP)
Notas al pie
- 3:19 Or I remember
- 3:20 Alt Hb tradition reads and you cause me to collapse
- 3:22 One Hb mss, Syr, Tg read The Lord’s faithful love, indeed, does not perish
- 3:28 Lit has laid a burden on
- 3:34 Or earth
- 3:52 Or Those who were my enemies for no reason
- 3:53 Or They ended my life in; Hb obscure
- 3:62 Lit lips
- 3:65 Or them an obstinate heart; Hb obscure
- 3:66 Lit under the Lord’s heavens
Lamentations 3:19-66
Common English Bible
19 The memory of my suffering and homelessness is bitterness and poison.
20 I[a] can’t help but remember and am depressed.
21 I call all this to mind—therefore, I will wait.
22 Certainly the faithful love of the Lord hasn’t ended;[b] certainly God’s compassion isn’t through!
23 They are renewed every morning. Great is your faithfulness.
24 I think:[c] The Lord is my portion! Therefore, I’ll wait for him.
25 The Lord is good to those who hope in him, to the person[d] who seeks him.
26 It’s good to wait in silence for the Lord’s deliverance.
27 It’s good for a man to carry a yoke in his youth.
28 He should sit alone and be silent when God lays it on him.
29 He should put his mouth in the dirt—perhaps there is hope.
30 He should offer his cheek for a blow; he should be filled with shame.
31 My Lord definitely[e] won’t reject forever.
32 Although he has caused grief, he will show compassion in measure with his covenant loyalty.
33 He definitely doesn’t enjoy affliction,[f] making humans suffer.
34 Now crushing underfoot all the earth’s prisoners,
35 denying someone justice before the Most High,
36 subverting a person’s lawsuit—doesn’t my Lord see all this?
37 Who ever spoke and it happened if my Lord hadn’t commanded the same?
38 From the mouth of the Most High evil things don’t come, but rather good!
39 Why then does any living person complain; why should anyone complain about their sins?
40 We must search and examine our ways; we must return to the Lord.
41 We should lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven.
42 We are the ones who did wrong; we rebelled. But you, God, have not forgiven.
43 You wrapped yourself up in wrath and hunted us; you killed, showing no compassion.
44 You wrapped yourself up in a cloud; prayers can’t make it through!
45 You made us trash and garbage in front of all other people.
46 All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.
47 Terror and trap have come upon us, catastrophe and collapse!
48 Streams of water pour from my eyes because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 My eyes flow and don’t stop. There is no relief
50 until the Lord looks down from the heavens and notices.
51 My eyes hurt me[g] because of what’s happened to my city’s daughters.
52 My enemies hunted me down like a bird, relentlessly, for no reason.
53 They caught me alive in a pit and threw stones at me;
54 water flowed over my head. I thought: I’m finished.
55 I call on your name, Lord, from the depths of the pit.
56 Hear my voice. Don’t close your ear[h] to my need for relief, to my cry for help.[i]
57 Come near to me on the day I call to you. Say to me, “Don’t be afraid.”
58 My Lord! Plead my desperate case;[j] redeem my life.
59 Lord, look at my mistreatment; judge my cause.
60 Look at all of my enemies’ vengeance, all of their scheming against me.
61 Hear their jeering, Lord, all of their scheming against me,
62 the speech of those who rise up against me, their incessant gossiping about me.
63 Whether sitting or standing, look at how I am the object of their song of ridicule.
64 Pay them back fully, Lord, according to what they have done.
65 Give them a tortured mind—put your curse on them!
66 Angrily hunt them down; wipe them out from under the Lord’s heaven.
Notas al pie
- Lamentations 3:20 Or My spirit can’t help but remember and is depressed
- Lamentations 3:22 Tg, Syr, and other ancient sources; MT we aren’t finished.
- Lamentations 3:24 Or My spirit thinks
- Lamentations 3:25 Or spirit
- Lamentations 3:31 Or Because my Lord won’t reject forever
- Lamentations 3:33 Heb He does not afflict from his heart.
- Lamentations 3:51 Or my spirit
- Lamentations 3:56 Or You didn’t close your ear.
- Lamentations 3:56 Or You have heard my voice.
- Lamentations 3:58 Or my spirit’s case or my spirit’s grievance
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